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Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life
Although he was married to possibly the most famous woman in the world, Prince Philip's origins were shrouded in obscurity. In this first book to focus exclusively on Philip's life before his marriage to the future Elizabeth II, the biographer Philip Eade recounts the prince's extraordinary upbringing in Greece, France, Nazi Germany and Britain, where he inhabited a colourful milieu yet was beset by continual turbulence and a succession of family tragedies.
344 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
January 6, 2020
I really enjoyed this book about the life of Prince Philip before he became consort to the queen. He did not have an easy early life and it was full of tragedy and trials for a young man that only a strong character like him could have gotten through. His wartime service in the Royal Navy during World War 2 is of particular interest for me, and if he did not marry Princess Elizabeth he would have had a sterling naval career. This book is also filled with lots of history and tales of the European ruling classes and how they were intermarried. Prince Philip really is a national treasure for the UK and they really don't make them like that anymore.
December 24, 2023
Philip Eade tells the sad story of the Prince's lonely youth. Until Elizabeth, he was not only a man without a (nuclear) family, he was a man without a country. I came away from this not just knowing more about Prince Philip, but understanding and respecting him more.
When his schizophrenic mother was hospitalized, his father (brother to the non-Greek King of Greece, who had had been tried for treason but saved from a Greek prison by his English relatives) dropped all pretense of being a father. Young Philip was moved from relative to relative and to different boarding schools. He suffered the loss of relatives and a mentor. Eade poses that this early life made him self-reliant and stoic.
Eade shows how his marriage was not a done deal despite the love of the queen to be, the astute mentor-ship of Richard Mountbatten, his excellent naval service in WWII and his status as a descendant of Queen Victoria. His sisters' husbands were Nazis, the Greek monarchy was shaky, his Mountbatten relatives were considered too ambitious and some thought Philip a playboy.
You come to admire the Duke for his many qualities. He's athletic, practical and brave. He writes his own speeches. He's ahead of his time, for instance, introducing some informality to the monarchy (more yet to come with Diana) and accepting the gender role reversal.
The book is good. It covers Prince Philip through Elizabeth's Coronation, which he chaired and made the far reaching (and controversial at its time) decision to televise. The text is very readable, but if you are not interested in this generation of royals, the book will not pull you in.
If you are interested in more about Prince Philip's family, his Nazi relations are sympathetically portrayed in Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany. His grandmother's experience in two exiles is described in Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria.
When his schizophrenic mother was hospitalized, his father (brother to the non-Greek King of Greece, who had had been tried for treason but saved from a Greek prison by his English relatives) dropped all pretense of being a father. Young Philip was moved from relative to relative and to different boarding schools. He suffered the loss of relatives and a mentor. Eade poses that this early life made him self-reliant and stoic.
Eade shows how his marriage was not a done deal despite the love of the queen to be, the astute mentor-ship of Richard Mountbatten, his excellent naval service in WWII and his status as a descendant of Queen Victoria. His sisters' husbands were Nazis, the Greek monarchy was shaky, his Mountbatten relatives were considered too ambitious and some thought Philip a playboy.
You come to admire the Duke for his many qualities. He's athletic, practical and brave. He writes his own speeches. He's ahead of his time, for instance, introducing some informality to the monarchy (more yet to come with Diana) and accepting the gender role reversal.
The book is good. It covers Prince Philip through Elizabeth's Coronation, which he chaired and made the far reaching (and controversial at its time) decision to televise. The text is very readable, but if you are not interested in this generation of royals, the book will not pull you in.
If you are interested in more about Prince Philip's family, his Nazi relations are sympathetically portrayed in Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany. His grandmother's experience in two exiles is described in Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria.
March 31, 2014
I like reading about royalty. I know that sounds bad. Why would anyone care about the British royal family? Especially an American. Didn’t we fight a war to get rid of them?
Well, I still find the family interesting. Especially the older generation. So when I stumbled across a book about Prince Philip, I thought I would give it a go. My own image of him is as a crusty old man, a crank who seem to love to tweek the press and say whatever is on his mind, no matter how racist or dated.
But, after reading this book, I must say I have a lot more respect for the old fellow. The story from his birth to his marriage to Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth is pretty unusual. Born on a kitchen table to a granddaughter of Victoria, his father was a minor Greek prince. You read Greek and think, Philip was Greek? No, his father was descended from a minor noble German house who were plucked from obscurity to establish the royal house of Greece. Soon, the Greeks over threw the royal house and basically set the family adrift. Philip never seemed to have a home. His mother was institutionalized and his father wondered the globe, finally coming to rest in Monaco. No one seems to have given much thought to Philip, who was shuttled from one family member to another. He attended English schools and joined the royal Navy. His uncle, Lord Mountbatten, then came upon the idea of uniting him and Elizabeth, in turn creating the new House of Mountbatten, rulers of Great Britain. Of course, the name remained Windsor but Philip played an important role in helping Elizabeth establish herself after the death of her father.
What was so fascinating? Philip travelled all over the world, never resting in one place long. While serving the Navy, during a stopover in Australia, he left the ship for a short period and worked on a ranch in the Outback. During a trip to India, he spent a month travelling around to various temples and shrines. While courting Elizabeth, his valet noticed that Philip travelled with just an extra pair of shoes and underwear, his only clothes being his navel uniforms. This upbringing must have certainly helped him cope with the demands of royalty. It also explains his relationship with his children. He doesn’t seem to have had much patience with the sensitive Prince Charles and it is easy to see why.
The book is exceptionally well written and fleshes out all the family relationships, giving mini-biographies of his parents, sisters, aunts and uncles. I found it fascinating. Is Philip an important historical person? No, but his life has been exceptionally interesting and run the gamut from penury to luxury. Well done.
Well, I still find the family interesting. Especially the older generation. So when I stumbled across a book about Prince Philip, I thought I would give it a go. My own image of him is as a crusty old man, a crank who seem to love to tweek the press and say whatever is on his mind, no matter how racist or dated.
But, after reading this book, I must say I have a lot more respect for the old fellow. The story from his birth to his marriage to Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth is pretty unusual. Born on a kitchen table to a granddaughter of Victoria, his father was a minor Greek prince. You read Greek and think, Philip was Greek? No, his father was descended from a minor noble German house who were plucked from obscurity to establish the royal house of Greece. Soon, the Greeks over threw the royal house and basically set the family adrift. Philip never seemed to have a home. His mother was institutionalized and his father wondered the globe, finally coming to rest in Monaco. No one seems to have given much thought to Philip, who was shuttled from one family member to another. He attended English schools and joined the royal Navy. His uncle, Lord Mountbatten, then came upon the idea of uniting him and Elizabeth, in turn creating the new House of Mountbatten, rulers of Great Britain. Of course, the name remained Windsor but Philip played an important role in helping Elizabeth establish herself after the death of her father.
What was so fascinating? Philip travelled all over the world, never resting in one place long. While serving the Navy, during a stopover in Australia, he left the ship for a short period and worked on a ranch in the Outback. During a trip to India, he spent a month travelling around to various temples and shrines. While courting Elizabeth, his valet noticed that Philip travelled with just an extra pair of shoes and underwear, his only clothes being his navel uniforms. This upbringing must have certainly helped him cope with the demands of royalty. It also explains his relationship with his children. He doesn’t seem to have had much patience with the sensitive Prince Charles and it is easy to see why.
The book is exceptionally well written and fleshes out all the family relationships, giving mini-biographies of his parents, sisters, aunts and uncles. I found it fascinating. Is Philip an important historical person? No, but his life has been exceptionally interesting and run the gamut from penury to luxury. Well done.
August 3, 2012
Enjoyable, highly readable and informative bio of Prince Philip's life up until his wife's coronation. Must admit, I didn't know much about Philip's background (other than he vaguely belonged to the royal family of Greece and that he & Elizabeth were distant cousins) and I found it much more interesting than I expected to. Interesting insight into the man who has been our Prince Consort for the last sixty years.
March 4, 2018
After watching The Crown, I wanted to know more about Prince Philip, and this biography, focused on his early life and ending shortly after Elizabeth's coronation, was just what I needed. The author obviously thinks quite highly of Philip, but presented what seems to be a balanced portrait of his strengths and his weaknesses, highlighting the many contradictions in his personality. Fascinating, too, to read about the connections among so many European royals, who all seem to be cousins and in-laws of some sort. Elizabeth and Philip were actually cousins, in addition to husband and wife: third cousins through Queen Victoria, and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark.
October 17, 2015
Interesting background on Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh before Elizabeth becomes Queen. Background on his parents and grandparents, answering the questions I always had about why was he known as Philip of Greece! Here you'll find out. His childhood was one of being shuffled around from family member to family member, not seeing much of his mother at all who had a nervous breakdown and he'd go for 5 years at a time without seeing her. His father, not much either. Yes, despite all of this, he became self reliant and well adjusted. Smart in school, a natural leader, entering the Royal Navy and distinguishing himself there during WWII. Since his sisters were married to Nazi's, it must have been strange for him. I felt like there's a lot more there about him that we don't know, but this is a good start on his psyche and the man he became and is today. Gives me a new way to regard him than I did before.
3.5/5
3.5/5
September 22, 2023
I am reading this for my Royals Book Club and I really enjoyed it. This is about Prince Philip's life up until his wife's coronation. I did not realize his mom was deaf. I just knew she was crazy. Philip did not have a last name since he was Greek royalty. Unfortunately for him the monarchy was dissolved and so his family had to leave the country when he was little. So at school he was 'Just Philip'. At the age of nine his father sold the family home and so Philip just stayed with different relatives during school breaks because his dad did not want to raise him and his mom was committed. He had no home. That is so sad. Philip saved his crew when German bombers were coming after them he thought to put a decoy in the water and set it on fire. The decoy worked and the Germans bombed it instead. I did know that his mom hid Jews during WWII and that was mentioned in the book. His mom actually won the same medal as Oskar Schindler. Also Philip witnessed the Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri which I did not know. It was very interesting.
-"You are where you are in life so get on with it" (Philip's philosophy according to a friend)
-Mountbatten had long recognized Philip's talents, and he had his own ideas as to what could be done with them.
-"This shy, reserved young woman, desperately needed bringing out of herself and Philip was just the man to do it."
-"I'm either being very brave or very stupid." (Philip on his wedding day)
-He saw immediately that the idyll of his life and their life together had come to an end. I never felt so sorry for anyone in my life. (when someone told Philip his father-in-law, the King, had died and his wife was now Queen)
-"You are where you are in life so get on with it" (Philip's philosophy according to a friend)
-Mountbatten had long recognized Philip's talents, and he had his own ideas as to what could be done with them.
-"This shy, reserved young woman, desperately needed bringing out of herself and Philip was just the man to do it."
-"I'm either being very brave or very stupid." (Philip on his wedding day)
-He saw immediately that the idyll of his life and their life together had come to an end. I never felt so sorry for anyone in my life. (when someone told Philip his father-in-law, the King, had died and his wife was now Queen)
March 7, 2017
I was inspired to read this book after watching the first season of The Crown on Netflix. The TV series had prompted me to look up information on Prince Philip on Wikipedia and this brief introduction to the Prince was intriguing enough to make me want to read more.
This book traces Prince Philip's life from his Great Grandfather's history to Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Probably the most interesting part of the book is the quick overview of Philip's ancestors, from his Great Grandfather suddenly being appointed the King of Denmark after a long lost relative dies, to his Grandfather being asked to become the King of Greece, to his Father's experiences in the Greek military. The author does a great job of summarizing the lives of many important and influential people in a short period of time while managing to tell just the right anecdote to give the reader a feeling for all of the characters involved.
But really all of Philip's life was interesting. He was smuggled out of Greece as an infant after a revolution and a war put his family's lives at risk; a few years later his Mother had a mental breakdown and was institutionalized and his Father basically gave Philip to his Grandmother, essentially leaving him an orphan. He was passed around between family members for his childhood, but basically growing up British. Meanwhile his three older sisters all married Germans and at least two of his three brother-in-laws were Nazis. But Philip, himself, served in the British Navy in WWII, distinguishing himself.
The book does occasionally become tedious. At points it's quite boring to read about which relatives Philip was shuffled off to during which vacations. But overall an interesting book about an interesting person and period in history.
This book traces Prince Philip's life from his Great Grandfather's history to Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Probably the most interesting part of the book is the quick overview of Philip's ancestors, from his Great Grandfather suddenly being appointed the King of Denmark after a long lost relative dies, to his Grandfather being asked to become the King of Greece, to his Father's experiences in the Greek military. The author does a great job of summarizing the lives of many important and influential people in a short period of time while managing to tell just the right anecdote to give the reader a feeling for all of the characters involved.
But really all of Philip's life was interesting. He was smuggled out of Greece as an infant after a revolution and a war put his family's lives at risk; a few years later his Mother had a mental breakdown and was institutionalized and his Father basically gave Philip to his Grandmother, essentially leaving him an orphan. He was passed around between family members for his childhood, but basically growing up British. Meanwhile his three older sisters all married Germans and at least two of his three brother-in-laws were Nazis. But Philip, himself, served in the British Navy in WWII, distinguishing himself.
The book does occasionally become tedious. At points it's quite boring to read about which relatives Philip was shuffled off to during which vacations. But overall an interesting book about an interesting person and period in history.
February 14, 2013
A fascinating account of the early years in the life of Prince Philip from the the history of his Greek royal family till just after Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. It includes the instability of Greece in the early 1900s, his birth on 10th June, 1921, the break up of his family due to the problems in Greece leading to his being shunted not only from country to country, but also from one member of the family to another. After spending time at a German boarding school just before the war, he is sent to Gordonstoun, where he absolutely thrived (Prince Charles was not so lucky). From there he joined the British Navy where he excelled in the war. It was while he was here that he met the Princess Elizabeth. She was smitten right from the start.
The book portrays a very resilliant and strong personality.
What is also interesting is the close connection of his family to Germany during the war. His sisters were married to Germans. ....some of whom had Nazi connections. However he gave his all to Britain.
The book portrays a very resilliant and strong personality.
What is also interesting is the close connection of his family to Germany during the war. His sisters were married to Germans. ....some of whom had Nazi connections. However he gave his all to Britain.
April 23, 2020
I had no idea that Prince Philip had endured such a traumatic childhood. I feel I understand him a little better now. This was a fascinating biography which I really enjoyed.
My only complaint is that the audiobook I listened to seemed to have a fault. A new chapter would begin, and it would be the previous chapter repeated. I had to keep switching between two devices to get the next chapter to load. I don't think I missed anything, but the worry that I would spoiled the experience for me somewhat.
My only complaint is that the audiobook I listened to seemed to have a fault. A new chapter would begin, and it would be the previous chapter repeated. I had to keep switching between two devices to get the next chapter to load. I don't think I missed anything, but the worry that I would spoiled the experience for me somewhat.
May 2, 2012
He married for more than sixty years to the most enduringly famous woman in the world.
Rich in drama ...
Rich in drama ...
October 20, 2016
Paints a sympathetic picture of Prince Phillip. The family connections were particularly interesting.
May 8, 2021
I wanted to read about Prince Philip's early years as I had heard that he had a rough childhood and I wanted to understand how that had shaped him. His family was exiled from Greece when he was a child, and they broke up as a family when he was about 10. His older sisters married, his mother, Alice had a nervous breakdown that resulted in being confined to a hospital, and his father abandoned his responsibilities to wander around Paris and Monte Carlo. Although a reader can feel the amount of pain that these circumstances would have engendered in a young boy, it is from the perspective of 'stiff upper lip' and a 'get on with it' attitude. This approach defined Philip's life, as he spent his holidays with various relatives (he was in boarding school), and went on to be the Queen's 'strength and stay.'
Philip was fortunate to have wealthy relatives that could pay for expensive schools, and take him on his holidays. It was not a story of Dickensian neglect by any means - he spent a lot of time with his grandmother at Kensington Palace - but it is certainly a story where negative emotions were not encouraged. Philip was high energy, always on the move, the better to escape the darkness, methinks.
He was certainly the right personality for the job, and there is not much sense that it cost him to bury emotions, although it is hard to believe that he did not privately suffer his pain. Not a lot of people could be as strong as Philip was; other than the Queen, and the Queen Mother, and Princess Anne, no other member of the family managed to handle their pain privately, let alone the rest of us. But Philip never seems to have lost his sense of joy in life, and that seems to be where he put his focus. I respect Philip for the way he lived his life of duty, for his strength and for his contribution to the British monarchy. But I think his way is also a thing of the past, which means, alas, we will be hearing the 'inside story' with all the dirty laundry from everyone else.
Philip was fortunate to have wealthy relatives that could pay for expensive schools, and take him on his holidays. It was not a story of Dickensian neglect by any means - he spent a lot of time with his grandmother at Kensington Palace - but it is certainly a story where negative emotions were not encouraged. Philip was high energy, always on the move, the better to escape the darkness, methinks.
He was certainly the right personality for the job, and there is not much sense that it cost him to bury emotions, although it is hard to believe that he did not privately suffer his pain. Not a lot of people could be as strong as Philip was; other than the Queen, and the Queen Mother, and Princess Anne, no other member of the family managed to handle their pain privately, let alone the rest of us. But Philip never seems to have lost his sense of joy in life, and that seems to be where he put his focus. I respect Philip for the way he lived his life of duty, for his strength and for his contribution to the British monarchy. But I think his way is also a thing of the past, which means, alas, we will be hearing the 'inside story' with all the dirty laundry from everyone else.
January 9, 2018
Like many, I’ve been fact-checking The Crown while binge-watching on Netflix. (While a republican, I enjoy watching and reading about the royal family.) The episode on the Profumo Affair brought me to this book. What an interesting life, Philip had! And how inbred are the royal family!!!! Cousins, great-uncles, great-great-grandparents. The family relationships and ties are many generations deep, sharing family members from paternal and maternal sides of both Elizabeth and Philip. It took my hours to work out the two family trees helpfully provided at the front of the book, and I kept referring to it throughout the book.
Really how can you say he is Greek or German; the royal families’ intermarriage and breeding crosses borders of countries and kingdoms (except not outside Europe - oh no! Standards, don’t you know!)
This is a really interesting and well-written and well-referenced read.
Really how can you say he is Greek or German; the royal families’ intermarriage and breeding crosses borders of countries and kingdoms (except not outside Europe - oh no! Standards, don’t you know!)
This is a really interesting and well-written and well-referenced read.
April 21, 2021
Great biography about Prince Philip's early life. The author did a great job of finding stories from his childhood where clearly he was of no consequence to anyone. An orphaned boy being moved from stately home to another, not knowing where he would end up. He was at the mercy of his aristocratic grandmother and uncles.
Reviewed by Librarian Leti. Find it at PVLD here.
Reviewed by Librarian Leti. Find it at PVLD here.
July 31, 2017
A good read about a fascinating man. I became addicted to the series "The Crown" and interested in learning more about Prince Phillip. He had a heckish type of a childhood yet became a man's man who has been a dedicated prince consort. A recommended read. The author very smoothly handled the complicated royal blood lines and the tumultuous times of the 1930's and 1940's.
December 14, 2020
I knew Prince Philip's family life was complicated and intertwined with the Russians, but didn't know how. I also knew he'd had a tough time and this book certainly explains the how and why.
Even I, however, a genealogist familiar with this complex family had trouble reading this book intelligently without Google and Wikipedia at my side!
Still, interesting.
Even I, however, a genealogist familiar with this complex family had trouble reading this book intelligently without Google and Wikipedia at my side!
Still, interesting.
January 22, 2018
Fascinating life. A good book.
July 13, 2018
Prince Philip is a much more complex historical figure than you realize. This book covers his early life up to his marriage to Queen Elizabeth. A very good read for those who are royally inclined.
May 4, 2021
It seems a bit cheesy to be reading this just after the death of HRH - and I'm not even a royalist - but with it sitting on the shelf, this seemed as good a time as ever, especially having listened to a few podcasts about his wartime service, one of which specifically recommended the book. It's a fascinating story, well told. He certainly had an odd start in life - which probably explains a lot - but how strange it now seems, in the light of his status now as a (late) top-notch royal, that at the start there was so much distrust and dislike of him by the 'Establishment'; even the Grenadier Guards didn't want him as their Colonel-in-Chief - on account of his German relations - which is a bit rich given that they happily served for centuries under a succession of Hanoverians and Saxe-Coburg-Gothas, he is a direct descendent of Queen Victoria and had a distinguished war service! So it's an entertaining and informative read which - mercifully - ends at the coronation. That was quite enough modern royal history for me!
March 8, 2022
Philip Eade's Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life guides readers through the scattered youth of the late Duke of Edinburgh up to the coronation of his wife, Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Readers will feel sympathy for young Philip as he is passed from house to house of various, eccentric, and distant relatives after the mental collapse of his mother and emotional distancing of his father.
Eade has a conversational writing style that makes reading his books a breeze, and his book is well-sourced without bitterly muckraking the royal family unlike many other "investigative" reporting and books of this genre.
Highly recommend this book for a casual weekend read (or for those of you who are obsessed with The Crown.)
Eade has a conversational writing style that makes reading his books a breeze, and his book is well-sourced without bitterly muckraking the royal family unlike many other "investigative" reporting and books of this genre.
Highly recommend this book for a casual weekend read (or for those of you who are obsessed with The Crown.)
October 26, 2012
An enjoyable easy read biography of an interesting man. Eade seems to take a neutral view on his life with a fairly balanced account. I cannot imagine any of the royals are thrilled to be written about but being in the public domain as they are all is fair.
Focused primarily his early life up to the early married life to the Queen, Eade shows how this man of royal birth weathered a very turbulent upbringing being passed off from one relative to the other in the absence of his recovering mother and his unattached father. Through it all he seems to hold up quite well primarily through the close guidance of his devoted uncle, Dickie Mountbatten.
The sometimes awkward melding into the Royal Family of England took some maneuvering as there was certainly opposition from many quarters. It is clear though Queen Elizabeth had her sights set on him from an early age.
Despite some of his shortcomings such as his noted prickliness and resentment of forgoing his Naval career manages to perform well enough in his duties to the Crown. His much rumored dalliances outside of the marriage are glossed over leaving it up to deduction that in the day and age of this society it is fairly common. Ultimately is suggested that the Queen benefited most from having this man at her side and he brought quite a bit out of the shell to take on the many demands of her position. Sadly we in the news we here increasingly of his failing health, but in his early 90's now he can look back to having measured up quite well.
Focused primarily his early life up to the early married life to the Queen, Eade shows how this man of royal birth weathered a very turbulent upbringing being passed off from one relative to the other in the absence of his recovering mother and his unattached father. Through it all he seems to hold up quite well primarily through the close guidance of his devoted uncle, Dickie Mountbatten.
The sometimes awkward melding into the Royal Family of England took some maneuvering as there was certainly opposition from many quarters. It is clear though Queen Elizabeth had her sights set on him from an early age.
Despite some of his shortcomings such as his noted prickliness and resentment of forgoing his Naval career manages to perform well enough in his duties to the Crown. His much rumored dalliances outside of the marriage are glossed over leaving it up to deduction that in the day and age of this society it is fairly common. Ultimately is suggested that the Queen benefited most from having this man at her side and he brought quite a bit out of the shell to take on the many demands of her position. Sadly we in the news we here increasingly of his failing health, but in his early 90's now he can look back to having measured up quite well.
April 2, 2013
This is the first official book that has ever existed to tell the story of Prince Philip's childhood and how he grew up. Most books about him are showcasing him from his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and on. I had always wondered about who he was as a person and what made him decide to give up such a promissing career with the Royal Navy to become the Prince Consort. He can be very blunt with who he is, but I liked this book because even though he is who he is, he wasn't afraid to be who he was. A lot of critics criticized him (and still do) about him not using proper "royal" etiquette and what not. I have to say I sympathize with him b/c I would be pissed off if someone was coming to me EVERYDAY and telling me how I should be or not be. He basically told people to "f*** off" and just deal with who I am. He gave everything up to be with Elizabeth who comes off as being brash and rude and according to this book, the Queen was even brash and rude towards her own children. He really loves the Queen and she loves him too and I recommend reading this book because it's a lesson to be learned that just because you're royalty doesn't mean you should act a certain way just for the public's interest.
March 20, 2013
I read the biography of the Queen last year so I decided to read more about her husband. I found many of the details of his life fascinating. Who knew that he had so much early tragedy or that his mom became a nun? I definitely felt sorry for him as a child having no real roots or parental support. The book ends soon after Princess Elizabeth ascends to the throne. I would have liked to know more about his life as a parent and as the Queen's husband.
I gave the book only 3 stars because though the story was fascinating I found the book a bit laden with trivia. I felt there was discussion of too many people who were only tangentially related to the main story and it often became difficult to keep all the Dukes, Earl, Lords, & Ladies straight.
I definitely enjoyed learning more about Prince Philip - will probably read more about him in the near future.
I gave the book only 3 stars because though the story was fascinating I found the book a bit laden with trivia. I felt there was discussion of too many people who were only tangentially related to the main story and it often became difficult to keep all the Dukes, Earl, Lords, & Ladies straight.
I definitely enjoyed learning more about Prince Philip - will probably read more about him in the near future.
October 9, 2013
I read this as a companion to Pamela (Mountbatten) Hicks's memoir, Daughter of Empire, a really fascinating look at life in the British upper class and royal circles in the early 20th century. Pamela's cousin, Philip, now the Duke of Edinburgh, popped in and out of that book, piquing my interest. This biography is a thorough exploration of his family's background, his unusual childhood and family life after post-exile from Greece, and his courtship and early years of marriage to the future Queen Elizabeth. There are many recollections from friends and colleagues as well as snippets of personal letters exchanged between family members, adding to the feeling that this is as complete and balanced portrait as one can produce without direct access to the subject.
December 21, 2011
I knew nothing about the Duke of Edinburgh before reading the book, well that's not totally true...I knew about his many moments of "open mouth, insert foot"...
I found the book fascinating and learned much about Philip. One being that he was an equal match in royal pedigree to his bride Elizabeth. I had no idea! It's a wonder that a man's man like Philip has been able to serve his Queen these many long years without exploding with frustration.
I do wish that the author had including a lineage chart to more easily explain the relations between all the royals, but all and all a great book.
I found the book fascinating and learned much about Philip. One being that he was an equal match in royal pedigree to his bride Elizabeth. I had no idea! It's a wonder that a man's man like Philip has been able to serve his Queen these many long years without exploding with frustration.
I do wish that the author had including a lineage chart to more easily explain the relations between all the royals, but all and all a great book.
December 22, 2013
In general I enjoyed this book. It covers Philip's family extensively as well as his life leading up to his marriage to Elizabeth and a few chapters on his life after marriage until she was crowned queen. It talks A LOT about his military service, but then I guess that is to be expected since that was a big part of his life before Elizabeth. His life really was filled with a lot of tragedy when he was a young child, it gives some insight to the person and character he comes across as today. Overall this is a good look at a man whom I did not know much about his youth or early years.
May 6, 2015
I really enjoyed learning about Philip's early life. He had no real home when he was a child, moving about among relatives and going to boarding schools. This book only goes up to when Elizabeth was crowned, so I would like to read more about his life as a father and as consort to the Queen. He gave up a career he loved (the Navy) after Elizabeth became queen and they were definitely not expecting that huge change in their lives so soon after they got married (5 years). It must have been hard for him to change his lifestyle but he seems to have done a good job for the most part.
February 7, 2017
Full of good information, I felt that the writing was unnecessarily dull. The subject is fascinating, but Mr Eade manages to make events that should be full of drama, boring. I got lost among all the names in the first 60 pages, as the book read like the "begats" chapters of the Bible. Honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this as it goes against every "book is better than film" bone in my body - watch the Netflix series "The Crown" rather than read this book. You'll learn about as much about Philip and be better entertained.
December 30, 2012
Not a quick, easy, or light read, but very informative. I learned a ton about the ancestry of much of the royal families in Europe. Also learned about why Prince Philip may have had such a hard time being a father himself. Also didn't know that Prince Philip gave up his opportunity to one day rule Greece. Had only heard his Greek family was exiled, but at the time he decided to marry Elizabeth that was not the case. Good Read.
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